Zelensky Announces New Patriot Package in Tight-Lipped Remarks

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine has secured a deal for a fresh batch of Patriot air defense missiles on Wednesday, Sept. 23. However, he made no mention of how many missiles and from whom, with the delivery timeframe also unclear.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Today we agreed, I won’t say with whom, on a package of missiles for Patriot systems. This is an important decision,” he said during a speech at the UN General Assembly, as reported by state media Ukrinform. Ukraine has appealed for months for US-made interceptors, as they are among the few systems capable of stopping Russian ballistic missiles. Recent developments suggest some success in that effort. On Thursday morning, Zelensky told journalists in New York that Ukraine shot down 60 percent of incoming Russian ballistic missiles during the most recent attack – a modest boost compared to July, when the Patriot shortage let roughly three out of four ballistic missiles slip through, with an abysmal 29 percent intercept rate. On Aug. 25, Zelensky said Ukraine received additional Patriot missiles, though again without specifying the quantity. Around two weeks earlier, he said only 5 percent of the US stockpile could protect Ukraine through the upcoming winter, and just weeks before that, he had requested 300 missiles from Washington for the winter. The total number of Patriot missiles in Ukraine remains classified, though most publicized deliveries come in limited numbers, including a 5-missile batch pledged by Spain in March, with Kyiv’s European allies reportedly struggling to provide Ukraine with enough Patriot interceptors. Other Topics of Interest ‘Needed Every Day’: Zelensky, Rutte Talk Patriots Zelensky told NATO chief Mark Rutte that Ukraine needs Patriot interceptors almost daily as Russia intensifies ballistic attacks. As such, the 60 percent intercept rate likely means Kyiv has received more Patriots, acquired weapons that could do the same job as Patriots, or developed its own domestic versions that can do a nearly similar job. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.